Summary:
The Gujarat High Court on Tuesday granted bail to Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Atul Vaidya, who was sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment in Gulberg Society massacre case of 2002 in Ahmedabad. Citing various judgments of the Supreme Court, they said that in cases of rioting, conviction can not be held on the basis of a lone witness. His lawyers, including senior counsel Jal Unwala, had argued that only one witness had identified him in the trial court testimony, which was not completely believed by the court. A division bench, led by justice Abhilasha Kumari, pronounced the judgment while suspending the sentence of Vaidya. Besides, it had also been argued that Vaidya had already served one year of imprisonment while his appeal petition was pending in the high court..